Killarney

<p>By Angela Belassie</p>
<h3>Old acquaintances are set to reunite nearly 60 years since first meeting &ndash; after they both appeared in an article about the history of an Irish ballad.</h3>
<p>Richard Graves made a trip to Sneem in 1965 to retrace his family&rsquo;s history.</p>
<p> The author of 20 biographies descends from a rich literary legacy &ndash; including his grandfather, Anglo-Irish poet Alfred Perceval Graves (APG) and his uncle, poet and novelist Robert Graves.</p>
<p> During his summer trip, Richard, who was then 19, stayed with Batt Burns, who is a Seancha&iacute; and an Irish teacher who grew up in the village.</p>
<p> And by chance they were both quoted in an article about the ballad of Father O&rsquo;Flynn, written by APG about an unlikely friendship between a Protestant and Catholic priest.</p>
<h3>Whiskey and poetry</h3>
<p>&ldquo;I recognised Batt&rsquo;s name straight away,&#8221; Richard (73) said.</p>
<p> &#8220;I was welcomed by him and his family and we spent an evening, with around 20 of his relatives, singing and reciting poetry.</p>
<p> &ldquo;The local priest turned up at the party and introduced me to Irish whiskey. Despite the whiskey, it was a very memorable trip and I would return to live in Ireland some years later.&rdquo;</p>
<h3>BACK IN TOUCH</h3>
<p>Batt and Richard have since got back in touch and reminisced about the 1960s and changes in the area.<br /> And Batt has invited Richard, who has lectured widely on literary subjects, notably on the poets of the Great War of 1914-1918, to speak at the annual &#8216;Sneem International Storytelling and Folklore Festival&#8217;.</p>
<p> The event, which celebrates the ancient art of yarn-spinning with artists of all ages, will run from November 11 to 13.</p>
<p> Batt, who founded the event in 2011 to help preserve the Irish storytelling heritage, said: &ldquo;We look forward to hosting Richard at the next festival, which promises to be the best yet.</p>
<p> &ldquo;Richard has a unique family link with Bishop Graves, APL and Robert Graves. He has many interesting stories to tell, as an author, lecturer and man with strong links to Sneem.&rdquo;</p>
<p> The pair were set to meet two years ago &ndash; but had to postpone due to the pandemic.</p>
<h3>Family history</h3>
<p>Richard&rsquo;s great-grandfather was the Reverend Charles Graves, the Anglican Bishop of Limerick, Ardfert and Agadoe.</p>
<p> The family&rsquo;s holiday home in Parknasilla, Sneem, became known as &lsquo;The Bishop&rsquo;s House&rsquo; &ndash; by which it is still known today and it is at the site of a luxury hotel, which welcomed its first guests in 1895.</p>
<p> Richard, of the digital marketing agency GWS Media in Bristol, which specialises in multilingual sites, said: &ldquo;My great-grandfather had died 66 years prior to my trip to Sneem.</p>
<p> &ldquo;But people spoke about him as if he had just gone away for a long weekend. They have a long folk memory in the village and I felt very at home.&rdquo;</p>
<p> Batt and his late wife, Maura, who were then recently married, hosted Richard and went on to run a bed and breakfast in the village.</p>
<h3>To Return to All That</h3>
<p>APG, who had been president of the Irish Literary Society, based his ballad on the Catholic parish priest of Sneem and family friend, Fr Michael Walsh.</p>
<p> Richard, who first read about Parknasilla in his grandfather&rsquo;s autobiography, &#8216;To Return to All That&#8217;, said: &ldquo;I had been keen to visit Sneem for some time, especially as my grandfather, APG, died before I was born and I wanted to visit the place where he had enjoyed so many happy family holidays as a child. I returned to the old family home, which had since become lodgings for summer staff. Sneem is a beautiful place and I look forward to returning there.&rdquo;</p>


Old friends to re-unite at Sneem Storytelling Festival

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